Down the Anything Tunnel
by sharpiewritesforfun
Summary: Abilene Cooper, a college student, grew up hating trains. She lives with her grandmother after the tragic event of her parents in a train wreck. After deciding to drop out of college, Abilene catches a train to Shining Time Station where she is supposed to switch trains. However, she falls asleep, misses her train, and disappears. Semi-sequel to Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
1. Introduction

A day at Grandma's house was like a miniature weekend vacation for Abilene. It is a day filled with cartoons, toys, movies, and cookies. They were days when Abilene dreaded the time when her mother came by to pick her up. However, by the time the girl had run out of fun things to do, she would be too tired to object to going home. Out of all of the times she wished she could stay at her grandmother's longer, she never wanted it to actually happen-or at least, not how it happened one late summer evening.

Abilene could not see much when her grandmother drove her to the intersection where the main line from the station crossed South Main Street. She remembered a large red fire engine, plenty of police cars, and an ambulance she could barely see over the cop cars. Her grandmother had told her to stay in the car while she went to speak with the officers. Abilene simply stared up at the Indian Valley Railroad's number 405 steam engine and the blue Toyota Camry wrapped around it's front buffers.

Abilene had been railroad fanatic for the majority of her young life. At Christmas and on her birthdays she would receive wooden and plastic train sets, preferring them over Barbie dolls and Easy-Bake Ovens. Out of all of the kids' shows and video tapes she would watch, her favorites were Shining Time Station and Thomas and Friends. She had especially liked Shining Time Station, because the show was based off of the real station that was located a few miles outside of town. Abilene had seen diesels and steam engines in real life, but never as close as to be sitting only a few yards away from one. She had dreamed of being an engineer and had always associated trains with good, but when her grandmother returned to the car with tear-strained cheeks, Abilene's view on train travel changed.

Abilene was surprised when her grandmother returned to the little rock cottage instead of Abilene's own home. Her grandmother was silent as they entered the house. Abilene was confused and a little scared. Her first thoughts were that her grandma was sad about the train wreck, then about whoever was in the wreck, but it never occurred to Abilene that the Camry wrapped around Engine 405's front like a piece of aluminum foil had been her mother's own car. Worry settled in when she was returned to her grandmother's instead of her parents' house, Abilene decided to ask why.

However, before Abilene could get the question out, the dining room phone began to ring. The girl was beyond worried and terribly confused when her grandmother took the call in the back room and locked the door. Seeing as there was nothing she could do, Abilene made her way down the hall to "her" bedroom and sat down on the daybed and waited. It was her bedtime when her grandmother reemerged from the back room.

She peered in to see the little girl on the bed with her head hung and her fingers around a Peter Rabbit plush doll that she slept with during sleepovers. Abilene did not look up until her grandma was seated beside her. The news that her parents had been in the train wreck was broken to the girl in Disney metaphors-comparing the tragedy to the death of Mufasa from The Lion King. Abilene seemed to take the news too well. She was apprehensive about permanently living with her grandmother, and she did not cry.

Abilene did not fully understand the gravity of the situation until the day of the funeral. It had been a quiet day until the preacher explained the circumstances of Emily and Max Cooper. If Abilene had not been listening, she would have missed it. She was shocked when she heard the preacher explain the full truth of her parents' death. She turned to her grandmother for guidance.

"That train we saw yesterday...that was mommy's car?" Abilene whispered.

Her grandmother looked down sadly at the child and nodded.

"Yes, sugar. They're in Heaven now," she replied.

Abilene cried from then until they returned home. She walked in the house slowly, not being able to appreciate the never-ending splendor that was Grandma's House. She walked through the living room and entered the hallway to go to her room.

"We will go get your things in the morning," her grandmother called to her as she approached her bedroom door.

Abilene said nothing and entered, locking the door behind her. On a vanity in the far corner of the room beside the closet was a large metal die-cast of Thomas the Tank Engine. She picked up the toy and stared at Thomas's smiling gray face.

"How could you?" she asked it, as if the toy had been behind the death of her parents.

Abilene opened a door at the bottom of the vanity that was used to store sewing supplies and stuffed Thomas in it. She wanted nothing to do with trains anymore.


	2. Missed the Train

_Fourteen Years Later_

The number two pencil defied control in the sway of the coach. It made unsatisfactory lines on the sketching paper and infuriated the drawer to the point where she dropped the pencil in the crack of the sketchbook and slammed it shut. A lady clacking away at a laptop glanced sideways at the aggravated artist in the opposite bench, then went back to her work without a word.

Abilene pretended not to notice the slight lip curl on the businesswoman's face, and folded her hands over her sketchbook as if she had not been previous tempted to throw it across the coach. Abilene leaned her head back against the old leather seat. Outside, the grass and trees were green and flowers were growing in the tall grass beside the track. Abilene had been trying to sketch the water tower on the hill, but the constant bumping and swaying on the train made the task difficult, and she had to give up and succumb to boredom.

She had dreaded this train ride. For two years, Abilene had been living in the city attending art college. She had spent years drawing in school, and decided that moving to the city to pursue a career in art was a good idea. However, the city was full of uptight business people and snobby college students. It seemed like no one had time to do anything, for they always had something to do on the tightest of schedules. The hustle and bustle was something that Abilene thought she would have to get used to, but as time went on, she found that college was becoming more and more of a regret. Abilene had two and a half months before the semester was over, but on a gut feeling, decided to drop out, move out of the dorms, and catch the next train to Shining Time Station.

Oh, how she dreaded the ride! Her heart raced as she boarded the coach. Her grandmother, whom she had been living with most of her life, had driven Abilene the four hours out to the city because Abilene refused to take the train to Shining Time to catch the city express. Abilene acted like she had been disgusted with the idea of traveling by train, making points that the way of public travel was just a one way trip to flu city. Her grandmother agreed that it may be crawling with germs, so to pacify her college-bound granddaughter, she gave Abilene a ride into the city.

Abilene knew her grandmother would be furious that Abilene had dropped out, but that was just something she would have to deal with when she arrived home. Her grandmother would also be surprised that Abilene even rode the train, not to mention by herself. Ever since the death of her parents, Abilene had been deathly afraid of trains. She was near physical pain every time they drove over train tracks. But her homesickness was stronger than her fear, and Abilene already felt better as the March air filled the train when they arrived at Shining Time Station.

Abilene grabbed the two bags she brought on board and followed the passengers out onto the platform. Stacy Jones, the station master, was out waiting for the passengers with a smile on her slightly aging face. She had been the station master since she was Abilene's age. It was a job Abilene wanted and told Stacy so when she met her at the super market, but that dream had been abandoned long ago.

"Come on in, everybody!" Stacy called over the chatter and hissing of the engine, "There's fresh coffee in the lobby. Bathrooms are down the left hallway and the baggage room is to your right."

Abilene followed the passengers in with her head down as she passed Stacy. She had not seen the woman in two years, but she knew the station master never forgot a face. Abilene really did not want to be recognized. She was not due back home until mid-June, and she did not want any assumptions to be made. She was just coming home because college was not right for her. That was all-or at least, that is what her mantra was on the train when she thought over her explanation for her grandmother.

Shining Time Station had not changed much since Abilene visited when she was around the age of four. Sure there was new paint and new furniture, but most of the station was just like Abilene remembered it. However, the atmosphere was different. The station lobby was still bright and warm, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits, but the magical air the station had had when Abilene first visited was missing. The place seemed as dull to Abilene as the fake station set on the television show. Abilene wondered why it seemed different, but assumed it was just because she was more mature now.

Abilene purchased a one-way ticket to her hometown from Stacy, who she thought had not recognized her, and Stacy happily transferred her luggage over to the cart for the 5:00 PM train to Fort Farley. Abilene thanked her and found a spot on the bench under the mural to sit. Abilene's eyes wandered to the antique clock that towered over the room. It was only four o' clock. Abilene reached down and rummaged through one of her bags. One bag she had brought held her cell phone, sketchbook, and other things a woman would carry in a purse, and the other held several changes of clothes and her books. Reaching deep into the bag, she fished for a book that she may not have read in a while. She was puzzled when her fingers reached a thick hardback. She wondered if maybe she had placed a textbook in the bag by mistake.

She gripped the heavy book and yanked hard until the book came free of the clothing and other books. The book was one she had not seen or touched in years, and she could not recall packing it. She did not even have a reason for packing it. The book was a hardback copy of _Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection_. It was beloved book that Abilene toted around everywhere as a kid. After the tragedy on the tracks, though, she feared the book and had it hidden in a box on the top shelf of her closet.

Abilene opened the cover and found a piece of stationary that had her grandmother's handwriting scrawled across it.

"_Abilene, I found this book in your closet when we were packing last week. I hope it will help cure any homesickness. Remember to call and have fun at school. _

_Love, Grandma_"

It was at this moment that Abilene wanted to cry. It occurred to her that she did not _really _fear the book. She had just been angry-angry at herself, angry at the train and angry with life altogether. If she had unpacked her duffel bag full of her personal literature and had seen the book and read the note, she probably would not have been sitting at Shining Time Station now. However, she was glad that she found it. She thought that the beloved collection of stories had been lost or thrown out as time had passed. She wondered if the cursed Thomas toy was still mingling with the sewing supplies in the vanity.

Abilene opened the book and flipped to the first story and began reading. Memories of her childhood before things changed flooded back like the water breaking through a dam. She became absorbed and soon drifted off to sleep near a quarter of a way through the book. She leaned her head back onto the mural on the wall behind her. Her shoulders slumped and her head tilted to the side against the painted tunnel and fell asleep to the sound of an old railroad song on the jukebox.

Stacy had been keeping an eye on the short-haired girl from behind her desk. She recognized Abilene the moment the girl had stepped up to the desk and purchased the ticket to Fort Farley. Stacy had not the slightest clue that Abilene had been attending college, but assumed all the same that Abilene was returning home to her grandmother.

At 4:50, the mail train came at the same time the unusually late express train rolled in. The station was full of people and the crew from the mail train. Stacy had meant to wake Abilene up, but the station had become so busy that the sleeping girl quickly slipped her mind. It was not until the 5:00 to Fort Farley departed that Stacy remembered Abilene.

"_Shoot_!" Stacy thought.

As the lobby quietened down, Stacy decided to let the girl sleep. Shining Time closed at 9:00, so Stacy decided that if Abilene did not wake, she would give the girl a ride to Fort Farley herself. Abilene did not wake up, however. The sound of steam whistles, the hum of people and ringing phones, the sound of the clicking clock, and the soft lull of the music on the jukebox kept Abilene asleep.

Later that evening, several more busy loads of passengers came through. One train was delayed because of a fallen tree on the line to the city, causing Stacy to have to settle the irritated passengers down. Hardly any problems arose when one chose to travel on the trains through Shining Time, but problems were not always avoidable. Things do happen. The delay caused Stacy to work an hour overtime, but it was no big deal to her. She was happy when the last train left. Her feet ached and her headache from worrying about the late express train grew into a migraine. She was dying for a hot soak in the bathtub.

She closed down the station and quickly shuffled off into the cool March air to her car. But as she walked down the sidewalk, she suddenly remembered the snoozing Abilene. Stacy groaned out loud.

"How did I come to be so scatterbrained?" she asked herself.

Stacy turned around and unlocked the front doors to reenter the station. When she entered the lobby, she noticed that Abilene was not there. Thinking the girl had gotten up to use the restrooms, Stacy walked down the hall and poked her head inside the women's restroom.

"Abilene?" she asked.

There were not any lights on in the restrooms and she could not hear anything. Stacy left the restrooms and quickly looked through the station. For a fleeting moment, Stacy wondered if maybe Abilene had snuck onto another train.

"_Maybe she called for a taxi. Oh, I hope she did not catch a ride with some stranger_," she thought.

Stacy genuinely felt as if it was her fault that Abilene was missing, and she wished she had remembered to wake Abilene up before she missed her train. When Stacy reentered the lobby after searching the entire station for Abilene, she noticed a certain glimmer on the mural's tunnel that she had only seen once before. Upon further examination, she found that the tunnel had gained a more realistic and three-dimensional appearance. Stacy felt as if she could stick her arm down the tunnel. She remembered that Abilene had been sleeping in front of the tunnel, and then it suddenly occured to her that she knew where Abilene was. Stacy hoped Abilene could help out the residents on the other side of the Anything Tunnel. She knew they would need it.


	3. Something of Nothing

For the passed year, Percy had the same recurring dream every night he had off work from the mail train. When he would back into his buffers in Tidmouth Sheds, he would close his eyes and see the same sights that he had witnessed several years ago with the events caused by a diesel and a lost engine. Ever since the death of Mr. Conductor, Percy began having these dreams. The Island had not been the same since the loss of their dear Conductor, and Percy felt the changes the most-or at least he thought so.

On this night, Percy dreamt of turning a corner and coming upon a small purple engine with gold trim and a Victorian style funnel. The engine was smiling up at him. Percy noticed she was parked in front of a set of lone buffers.

"Hello, Percy," she said in her soft voice that seemed to echo off of Percy's funnel.

Percy was suddenly red-faced and shy. He grunted and plucked up the courage to speak.

"Erm, h-h-hello," Percy stuttered.

The little engine said nothing but continued to smile as she chuffed away. Percy watched her leave and caught the shining gold lettering that spelled out "Lady" on the engine's side. Lady was the engine that held the magic to The Island of Sodor. She was the reason people, trucks, and engines could navigate through the buffers that lead to special destinations like Muffle Mountain. Lady lived on Muffle Mountain in a shop owned by her protector, Burnett Stone. However, Lady did visit the Island on occasion. It was odd that she would simply be near her buffers by herself. Percy thought it was strange.

When the small, green engine could no longer hear Lady's wheels along the track, he looked up to see a multicolored shimmer to the buffers. Usually, his dream ended when Lady was leaving, but this time, his dream went on. Percy, becoming braver with the help of curiosity, crept slowly forward to inspect the buffers. Suddenly, a white light exploded from the buffers and several objects burst forth. Percy nearly jumped off of his rails in surprise. When he tried to inspect what it was, a light enveloped him and a red tender was in front of him, pulling him halfway out of his stall.

"Percy, wake up!" barked the engine that was beyond angry that he had to be the mule engine today. That was usually a job for Percy or Thomas.

"Wha'? Oh! I'm up, James. I'm up," Percy said, blinking as his eyes adjusted the the bright sun.

James huffed as he was uncoupled from Percy. Percy could not believe he had slept in. Usually, he was the first one up. He had always been a light sleeper. Percy was quite skittish, and his dreams made him easily excitable. He found it strange that he had slept in so late, and he was sure Sir Topham Hatt would pull up at any minute in his car to scold Percy.

"Manager says you are to help Thomas shunt freight cars today," James called to Percy from the turntable.

Percy's fire lighter hopped out of his cab, indicating to Percy that in a few minutes he would be ready to start his day.

"Manager?" Percy asked confused. Surely James meant Sir Topham Hatt-yet he had never heard James, or any other engine on the railway call Sir Topham Hatt 'manager.'

"Yeah, that new, scrawny guy that comes and gives orders when Sir Topham Hatt is away. Really, Percy. Don't tell me you haven't noticed him before," James snapped.

Percy really had not paid much attention to the railway manager. He knew he wore an indigo uniform that was similar to the navy conductor's uniform that Mr. Conductor used to wear.

"I know he thinks he's Mr. Conductor," Percy growled.

James was facing Percy momentarily. His facial features softened and he felt sympathetic towards the little engine.

"Percy, I know Mr. Conductor's death has been hard, but it's time to move on. The manager is just here to help. Sure, he's not very friendly, but perhaps he will become as nice as Mr. Conductor was."

Percy perked up.

"Do you really think so, James?" Percy asked.

James pulled out onto the service track so the crew members could fill his water tank. James sighed. He had hidden in many a lonely shed and tunnel to hide his tears for their beloved Mr. Conductor from the eyes of the other engines. He was not over the loss yet, but he felt as if he should be a role model for the other engines and get back to work. Mourning in the sheds and being really useless is not what Mr. Conductor would have wanted anyway.

"Yes, Percy," James said. He did not sound so confident, but it satisfied Percy.

Percy let off steam and pulled onto the turntable. He had to go tell Thomas about his dream.

As the day wore on, Percy had this terrible urge to go to the buffers. The impulse kept him distracted, and Thomas had to correct him before things got out of hand.

"Percy, what's wrong with you today? You seem really distant," Thomas observed.

Percy biffed his last freight car into a siding, then reversed to speak to Thomas.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Thomas. It's just that, well, I had that dream again."

Thomas was confused.

"What dream?" he asked. Percy sighed.

"That dream about the buffers," Percy replied.

Thomas was surprised. Percy had told Thomas of the recurring dream, but that was months ago. He had no idea that Percy was still having the dream.

"That one?" Thomas exclaimed, "Percy, why didn't you tell me?"

Percy glanced down to the tracks.

"I didn't think it was so important," Percy mumbled.

Percy thought back to what James had told him that morning about moving on, and it made him think that telling Thomas about the dream was even less of a priority, but Thomas felt differently. He was worried about his friend.

"It is if you have been having the same dream for nearly a year now," Thomas said.

"Last night it was a little different," Percy spoke up.

Thomas cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh? How?"

"After Lady left, I looked back at the buffers and they started to glow white. Then, something burst from them!" Percy explained.

"What was it?" inquired Thomas.

"I don't know," Percy replied, "James woke me up before I could see what it was. But all day I've had this urge to go down to the buffers."

"You don't think that something really came out of them, do you?" Thomas asked.

"I-I don't know," Percy said softly.

Thomas sighed.

"Well, I think we need to go speak to Sir Topham Hatt about that dream," Thomas said.

"Good luck," another voice said from behind a line of tar tanks.

Thomas and Percy looked up to see a blocky, black diesel hum its way towards the engines. Thomas growled and chuffed forwards, partially blocking Percy from Diesel's view as a means of protecting his friend.

"Have you been eavesdropping this entire time?" Thomas asked angrily.

Diesel laughed.

"Ha! No, Thomas. I was just passing through to the other side of the yard when I heard you two," Diesel replied.

Percy let off some steam, aggravated.

"Oh, make like you're so innocent," Percy grumbled.

Diesel did not hear, but Thomas did. He almost laughed. Diesel had been causing a lot of trouble lately, especially towards Thomas and Percy. He had also been harassing the bigger engines, which was something Diesel never _usually_ bothered with.

"What did you mean by 'good luck'?" asked Thomas.

Diesel smiled deviously.

"Oh, nothing. Just that the Controller seems to be making himself scarce lately. Wouldn't you agree, Thomas?"

Thomas snorted. The way Diesel asked the question angered the blue engine.

"He's a very busy man," Thomas said defensively, "You should not say things like that, Diesel."

Percy came forward to aid Thomas in his argument.

"Yeah, Diesel," Percy said, "You're lucky that you are even working on this railway."

Diesel said nothing, but a sly smile came across his lips.

"Yes, I _am_ the lucky one, little Percy," Diesel agreed.

Thomas was cross.

"Enough, Diesel. Explain yourself!" Thomas ordered.

"Well, it seems as if soon the Island's entire population of steam engines will be scrapped," he said.

This did not phase Thomas or Percy too much. They had heard this all before. Diesel was all talk.

"Sir Topham Hatt would never scrap us!" Thomas said.

"Yeah!" Percy chimed in, "You know better than that, Diesel."

Diesel laughed maliciously.

"And what if your precious Hatt was not in the picture?" Diesel asked.

Thomas and Percy were confused. Diesel oiled up closer so that passersby would not hear.

"Word of the Controller's retirement is spreading around the Other Railway. I've heard that the English Railway Committee will buy out this railway and scrap the steam engines. Apparently maintenance costs for steamies is too pricey these days."

Percy and Thomas were shocked.

"That's just some dumb rumor clearly a result of the wishful thinking of diesels!" Thomas spat.

Percy sat quietly. He was not so sure.

"I've heard enough," Thomas said and wheeshed loudly.

"Yeah, um, let's go," Percy added quickly.

The two little engines back away from Diesel and the disturbing smile plastered onto his face.

On the way home, Percy felt a nagging feeling in his boiler. His mind was filled with thoughts of what would happen if Sir Topham Hatt were to truly abandon them, but the urge for visiting the buffers Mr. Conductor and Lady used to use grew even stronger. When he and Thomas stopped at a signal, Percy noticed that they were not too far from the buffers. Percy's axles tingled. He could not stand the impulse any longer.

"Thomas, may we please make a side trip?" Percy begged.

Thomas looked over at Percy, who was nearly shaking on the tracks. He knew that they were not far from the buffers, but he needed to take Percy home.

"No, Percy," Thomas said, "We're not even allowed down there unless there is work."

Percy was growing irritable.

"Nonsense! Henry is down there all the time!"

"That's exactly why were are not allowed, Percy! If Henry is having boiler troubles, he needs a quiet place to relax. He does not need two nosy engines bothering him," said Thomas.

"Thomas, Henry is not even down there! He was working with the loggers today," Percy said.

Thomas knew Percy was right, but he really just wanted to go to the sheds.

"Percy, the only place you need to be is the sheds speaking with Sir Topham Hatt about that dream of yours," Thomas said.

The signal went up and Thomas moved forward. Percy sat still for a moment before slowly following.

"But, what if something really did come out of the buffers?" Percy called to Thomas.

Thomas slowed to get in line with Percy again.

"Would it make you feel better if we went and had a look?" Thomas asked.

Percy got excited.

"Oh, yes please!" Percy said and whistled with a sharp peep.

Thomas laughed and they took the tracks down to the magical buffers.

Upon arrival, Percy noticed that nothing was there. The buffers sat at the end of the track, old and lonely as they had been since Percy had lived on the railroad. Curious, Thomas edged close to the platform Lady used to use and inspected it.

"There's nothing here, Percy," Thomas called.

Percy rolled up beside his friend. Thomas was right. There was not one odd thing around, except for a few rabbits and birds. Percy sighed. He was hoping to at least find a clue to his mysterious dream and was disappointed to find nothing. Thomas noticed Percy's glum expression and smiled.

"Don't worry, Percy. I'm sure it was nothing," Thomas reassured.

"Oh, but nothing always turns into something," Percy said worriedly.

Thomas chuckled.

"Come on, Percy, let's get you home. You look exhausted," Thomas said.

Percy did not argue and they began to leave. Suddenly, a whistle came from behind them and Thomas spotted puffs of steam coming around the corner. The little, nosy engines halted sharply. Percy glanced around worriedly.

"The nothing turned into something!" Percy exclaimed.

Thomas had to admit that he was a little spooked, but when a large green engine waddled up beside him, his fear subsided. It was Duck.

"There you two are!" said Duck.

Thomas and Percy sighed in relief.

"Oh, it's only you, Duck," said Thomas.

Duck smiled and apologized for frightening them.

"I've been looking all over for you guys. Sir Topham Hatt wants us all to meet at the station at Crovan's Gate," he said.

Thomas looked confused.

"Crovan's Gate?" he asked.

"Is something special happening?" asked Percy.

Duck's smile fell.

"Oh, something is happening. That's for sure," Duck replied.

Duck backed away from the two and backed to the switch to get back on the mainline. Thomas and Percy exchanged worried glances before following suit.

At Crovan's Gate, engines packed the station. The little engines from the Skarloey Railway lined the other side of the platform. On the platform stood the station's managers, as well as Sir Topham Hatt, Lady Hatt, and their children. The manager that had been making appearances more and more stood off to the side next to the Skarloey Railway's manager. Off on the other side of Thomas, Percy and Duck's position, Diesel oiled up behind Donald. He smiled as he caught the eye of James, who was near the middle next to Edward and the platform. James gritted his teeth.

"I would love to ram that smile right off of him," James growled.

"James, please," Edward whispered.

Sir Topham Hatt was helped onto a barrel and handed a megaphone.

"May I have your attention please?" he boomed.

The chattering engines were instantly silenced, eager to hear what their boss had to say.

"Thank-you. I have a great announcement to make, and I ordered you to Crovan's Gate so the news could be shared with the narrow gauge engines."

Sir Handel, the little blue engine, was worried.

"This can't be good," he whispered to his friend Peter Sam, who agreed.

"In my older age, my health and the demanding tasks of this railroad have made it difficult to continue to keep up. After speaking with the Railway Committee, I have decided to retire and leave the railroad in the hands of the Committee," Sir Topham Hatt said.

An eruption of wheeshes, whistles, and protests shook the ground.

"No!" shouted the engines.

"You can't leave us!" Gordon, the big engine, boomed.

Sir Topham Hatt lowered his head.

"I am sorry, my dear friends. But it has been a great pleasure to work with all of you."

With that, Sir Topham Hatt was helped down and began to leave with his family. There was silence until Bill and Ben, the tank engine twins that worked in the Sodor Quarry, cried out.

"We're going to be scrap!" they cried.

Apparently, Diesel had spread his rumor all over the island.

"No! Not that!" Stepney, the Bluebell engine cried. He had escaped the cold hands of scrap before. He did not want his nightmare to come true.

Edward jerked forward into the open area between his side and BoCo's side of engines. He whistled loudly to grab the Controller's attention. Sir Topham Hatt turned to see his first and oldest engine with tears in his eyes. He walked up to Edward, stepped onto his front and patted the engine's cheek.

"Please, sir," Edward begged.

Sir Topham Hatt had to fight hard not to cry. Edward was in shambles and was shaking from his sobbing. The only reason Old Iron was still on the railway was because Sir Topham Hatt loved him so much. He did not care that Edward broke the bank when it came to maintenance, because the number 2 engine was worth the fuss. But he had to let the poor engine go. Whatever came, came.

Sir Topham Hatt nodded to Edward and then turned and the station masters helped him down and back on his way to his car. Edward surged forward.

"No!" he screamed.

BoCo, who was directly across from the old engine, moved forward and bumped his buffers against Edward's.

"Stop," BoCo said softly.

Edward closed his eyes and cried violently.

"It'll be okay," his diesel friend whispered.

Edward knew better. BoCo had a far better chance of survival than he did.

Back in the back behind Toby, Percy looked over at Thomas through tears.

"Diesel was right," Percy whimpered.

Thomas agreed.

Ahead, Diesel could be heard backing away and cackling. James bucked forward, but made sure he did not run into Henry.

"You better run, you useless hunk of metal!" James called.

Donald and Douglas jumped when they heard Diesel. They had no idea the greasy engine had even been there.

Percy backed away slowly with Thomas and Duck. Toby followed with Gordon. The only engines that were soon left were BoCo consoling Edward and the little engines. Skarloey, the oldest and number 1 engine on the narrow gauge railway, looked to his fellow engines.

"We must lay low," he whispered.

They all agreed.


	4. The NotSoPeachy Sodor

Abilene woke up as the first rays of sunlight appeared over the eastern horizon. The air was chilly and had kept her shaking for the majority of the night. When she opened her eyes, she found that she was laying on a concrete slab. In the surrounding grass and on the train tracks were melting patches of slushy snow.

Abilene sat up and rubbed her sore shoulder that had been digging into the concrete. She looked around, not recognizing her surroundings. Ever since she was little, Abilene had a history of sleepwalking.

"I must have gone pretty far this time," she murmured to herself as she pushed her messy locks of hair backwards.

Abilene stood to her feet. Down on the ground was her backpack and the duffel she had carried a few changes of clothes and her books in. She found it strange that she had even brought the bags. Nevertheless, she thought that perhaps it was a blessing that she had brought them. Since she had no idea where she was, her cell phone that was nestled in a side pocket in her bag would come in handy. She decided on calling her grandmother. She had no one else to call except Stacy Jones at the station, but Abilene did not have the number.

When Abilene opened turned on her cell phone, she noticed that she not only had no signal, but apparently she was on roaming. Abilene was confused. Though the Indian Valley was hilly and sometimes mountainous, she usually got decent signal. The weakest signal she had had was when she was downtown shopping once in the big city. Abilene sighed and tried calling her grandmother anyway. It was worth a shot.

The phone did not ring more the twice before Abilene heard a beep and then a voice with a strange accent.

"_Your call could not be made at this time. Please hang up and try again or call your service provider. Thank-you._"

Abilene groaned and closed the cell phone and groaned. She slipped the phone back into her bag and glanced at the scenery around her. Patches of snow lay in the overgrown glass and a small black water tower was standing in a siding up the line. She turned around to see a pair of old buffers and a snow covered ball of brush that looked like a really strange tumbleweed.

Turning back around to face the water tower, Abilene could not recall any snow on the ground when she arrived at Shining Time. Then, a sudden realization hit her. If there was patches of melting snow, there would have been more snow yesterday. Abilene began to panic. She had no cell phone reception, the weather was strange, plus, she had randomly woken up on an old engine platform with her bags when it was unheard of that Abilene sleepwalked while holding something.

Looking to her side, Abilene noticed that the platform was built in to the side of a very steep hill.

"_Maybe I can see where I am from up there,_" Abilene thought.

Grabbing her two bags, Abilene crawled and clawed her way up the vertical grassy wall. Once at the top, Abilene was horrified. The expanse of the land was covered in patchy snow covered hills, stone bridges, a river, and she thought she could spot a lighthouse in the far distance. There was not a lighthouse within a thousand miles of the Indian Valley. But what scared Abilene the most was that the land was criss-crossed with train tracks. The air was lighter and much colder than the air at home. It suddenly occurred to her that she was not in the Indian Valley anymore.

Abilene decided that the only to find out where she really was if she was not dreaming was to find a town or a vehicle with a license plate that may give her some insight on her location. Abilene navigated down the hill and tentatively stepped in between the rails. She looked in both directions and listened for any rail traffic, but she heard nothing. She also saw nothing. No trains on the many tracks or vehicles on the nearby roads.

"It's probably a good thing," Abilene murmured to herself, "No trains means I will be less likely to get hit, and no cars means no noise. So, if a train does come, I'll be able to hear it and jump off of the tracks."

Abilene headed north on the tracks. She noticed that the tracks here were more narrow than the ones over the hill where she had come from. They also looked much older and appeared to have had been mended in places. Abilene was so focused on the condition of the tracks that she did not bother with keeping an eye on her surroundings.

To the south of her, a puff of steam could be seen over the hill. Abilene walked under a large bridge made of gray stone. She stopped for a moment to observe the bridge and listen for any trains. She could hear nothing around her or above. Abilene began to walk again. It was, for the most part, quiet on this early morning. Birds were beginning to chirp, the wind made whooshing sounds through the trees, and Abilene alone made plenty of sounds with her shoes crunching in the dead leaves and gravel between the ties. She could hear her own heartbeat over everything, and her breathing covered up the sounds her heartbeat could not. Therefore, she could not hear the chuffing come from back down the line.

Abilene walked out from under the bridge and sniffed the clean, crisp air. Except, she smelled something different. It smelled of new asphalt and oil. Suddenly, there was a sharp hissing sound from behind her and then a blast of an old hooter whistle. Abilene spun around in terror and screamed. Sitting right behind her was a dirty, mustard yellow engine with a tall black funnel and a face. Abilene lost her balance and fell backwards off of the tracks and into the tall grass. The engine let off steam and chuffed closer to Abilene, curiously looking over the tracks to the girl.

"I must be dreaming," Abilene said and quickly pinched her arm. She winced when pain shot up her arm. The engine wrinkled his nose. He thought this girl was odd.

"Whadya do that for?" he asked, his thick Scottish accent horrifying her further. Abilene looked back up to the steam engine.

"Who are you?" she asked. The engine's eyes widened. He was shocked that the young girl had no clue who he was, but Duncan was more interested in who she was.

"Who am I?" he growled, "Who are you?"

His aggressive voice scared Abilene even more, and she backed away into the ditch.

"I-I-I'm Abilene," she stuttered, clutching her bags close to her. She feared

that this talking engine would reach down and bite her or something equally horrible.

"Abilene?" he asked. Abilene nodded. "Where are ya from?"

Abilene stood to her feet. She was confused.

"From?" she repeated.

The engine was beginning to get irritated.

"Yes, from! I can tell by your accent that you're not from around here," he said.

Abilene was even more terrified than she had been, and began to panic.

"Where am I?" she whispered.

"The Island of Sodor. Where else?"

Abilene, unsteady on her feet, walked up the slight hill and sat on the edge of a railroad tie. She was shaking from shock and the cold air did not help her situation. The engine moved slightly closer to her. Abilene jumped but could not move, now matter how much she wanted to. She turned and looked up at the engine. He was looking down at her with a concerned look on his face.

"You're Duncan, aren't you?" she asked. A hint of pride ran across his features.

"I am," he confirmed.

Abilene looked away.

"So it's all real?" she murmured.

Duncan snorted.

"You mean those blasted books and films for children?" he asked, sounding slightly disgusted.

Abilene glanced up at him and nodded. Duncan rolled his eyes.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said, "What are ya doin' out here alone?"

Abilene stood with her bags.

"I wish I knew," she said.

Duncan was confused. Abilene sighed and began to explain her morning.

"This morning I woke up on a concrete platform with my bags. It was near a set of buffers and a water tower."

Duncan was surprised.

"You must have come down the Anything Tunnel!" he exclaimed.

It was now Abilene's turn to be confused.

"The Anything Tunnel?"

"Yes!" said Duncan, "You must have come from Shining Time Station."

Abilene felt relief wash over her.

"Yes! I fell asleep and missed my train and when I woke up, I was here," she said.

Duncan thought for a moment. If Abilene knew who he was, then she must know who the other engines were as well.

"Come! Hop in my cab! Maybe you can help us," he said quickly.

Abilene's eyes enlarged.

"Please hurry," Duncan begged, "It's dangerous for both of us to be out here alone."

Abilene hesitated, but went ahead and threw her bags into Duncan's cab before hoisting herself in. Duncan whistled and steamed down the line towards a switch that would take him and Abilene up into the Sodor Mountains.

Crovan's Gate is a small town on the Island of Sodor. It serves as a terminal between the standard gauge track and the narrow gauge track. Duncan slowly and carefully pulled in on the farthest track away from the platform that separated the two gauges of track. Abilene was clutching Duncan's window frame and peering out at the platform. There were no people, no trucks, and no engines.

"We're at Crovan's Gate, aren't we?" Abilene whispered.

"Aye," replied Duncan. He was just to about to explain further, when two horns came from a distance.

Duncan screeched to a halt. Abilene stumbled in the cab.

"What was that?" Abilene exclaimed.

Again, Duncan did not have time to explain.

"Just get down, lassie," he commanded, "Out of sight!"

Abilene ducked down and scooted into a dusty corner of the cab, clutching her bags close. Anyone on the opposite side of Duncan could easily spot her in his cab, but she was invisible to any standard gauge engines that came by. Duncan hurried across the yard and hid behind an old shed just in time. Two large greenish-grey diesels with yellow hazard stripes came into the station. Their chatter could be heard across the yard. Their laughing made Duncan's axles feel weak. Abilene peeked out the doorway to see the engines with "Sodor Ironworks" painted on their sides sitting at the platform. The diesels were twins that worked in the smelters yards.

"That's Arry and Bert," Abilene whispered. Duncan said nothing, but Abilene could feel the engine trembling.

"Why are we hiding?" she whispered to Duncan.

"Later," Duncan quickly hissed.

Abilene scooted forwards near the rear for the cab to listen to Arry and Bert's conversation.

"Were we s'posed to search this area, Bert?" Arry asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Bert grunted, "Wouldn't it be nice to catch one of those 'lil engines out and about?"

"I 'eard they were sold after Topham made 'is announcement," Arry said.

"Nah, Arry. They're up in the mountains, hiding," Bert growled.

"I wonder why manager isn't interested in the narrow gauge engines," Arry pondered.

"Doesn't matter," said Bert, "They'll be next."

Duncan whimpered. Abilene had no idea what was going on, but she had a feeling that the Island of Sodor was not as peachy as the books and shows had made it out to be.

"C'mon, Bert. We're s'posed to be huntin' down those twin tank engines today," said Arry.

Bert perked up.

"Right! Let's go!" Bert said excitedly.

The diesel twins revved their engines and slid away. Abilene waited until they were out of sight and hearing range.

"They're gone," Abilene announced. Duncan sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness," said Duncan.

The yellow engine let off his brakes and quickly continued his run into the mountains.

"No where is safe," Duncan thought.

Rusty, the little diesel, was hiding in an overgrown patch of rails off in an old forgotten siding. During the days when he was not called down from the narrow gauge railway to work with the engines from the Other Railway, he would park and hide in sidings and tunnels, keeping a look out for any members of the Railway Board or new little diesels that posed a threat to his friends. He knew it was risky, because if part of the Board found Rusty, they would find the rest of the Skarloey Railway's engines. However, Rusty knew his spot was safe and it was far away from the others.

The thick shrubbery was covered in blooming wild honeysuckle and hid Rusty's orange paint well. The track that led to Rusty's hideout was twisted and unsafe. A sign reading "Line Closed" ensured that no one would pass the sign and run face first into Rusty. Rusty was confident that he would not be found. Today, he was not only keeping a lookout for people, but for engines as well. He saw Duncan leave their secret shed earlier that morning, and decided to hideout and wait until Duncan came back. If the little rock 'n roll engine did not return by sundown, he was going to go out and hunt Duncan down himself.

Duncan had made it a habit to head out once a week to see if he could catch one of the larger engines and get an update on the diesels. Every once in a while, Duncan would catch Henry and on rare occasions, BoCo, but lately he had seen no one until today.

Rusty was lazily watching two birds nearby pecking at the ground when he heard Duncan's whistle. Rusty looked up and saw the tall-funneled engine rattle up the hill in the direction of the sheds. Rusty started his engine and backed out of his hiding spot. The old track between him and Duncan split for a good half and mile before it met again at a junction farther up the mountain. Rusty decided he would catch Duncan there.

When Rusty hit the switch and was transferred over to the main line, Duncan came rolling up.

"Oh, Duncan!" Rusty said, "Thank throttles you're safe!"

Duncan stopped in front of the little diesel. He curled his lip and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Of course I'm safe!" replied Duncan, "What are you doin' out here?"

"I was waiting on you!" said Rusty, "I saw you leave and I wanted to wait until you came back. If you didn't, I was going to come looking for you."

Duncan's confused frown turned into a small smile.

"That's nice of ya, Rusty. Thank-you," Duncan said.

Rusty returned the smile.

"You're welcome, Duncan. Come. Let's get home before someone sees us," Rusty suggested.

Duncan agreed. Rusty rushed away to switch tracks and then returned to join Duncan in the journey into the mountains.

"Quickly, Rusty," Duncan said, "I have a passenger."

Rusty screeched to a halt. Confused, Duncan stopped shortly ahead of the diesel and looked over at him.

"What's wrong?" Duncan asked.

"A passenger?" Rusty exclaimed.

Abilene, who was still shocked to see the little diesel in person, took this as her cue to make herself seen.

"Shh! She's fine! I'll explain when we are hidden again," Duncan hissed to Rusty.

Abilene stood in the cab and poked her head out. She smiled at the square-faced engine. Like Duncan, Rusty looked almost exactly like his model in the television shows she grew up with. Unlike Duncan, however, Rusty to scare her as much as Duncan had.

"Hello, Rusty," Abilene spoke up.

Rusty wiped the shocked expression from his grey face.

"I'm Abilene."

Rusty smiled politely.

"Hello, Abilene. It's nice to meet you," the little diesel said.

Duncan chuffed forwards and Rusty quickly caught up with him.

"She's from Shining Time," Duncan said to Rusty.

"Shining Time? Did she come from the buffers?" Rusty inquired.

At the mentioning of the buffers, Abilene stuck her head out of the cab in an attempt to join in on the conversation.

"Did you say buffers?" Abilene called over the clacking of the engines' wheels along the old tracks.

Before Rusty could reply, a loud crash came from the valley. The little engines stopped to listen, but there was not a sound.

"Let's get out of here," Rusty said quickly.

"Right. Abilene, hold on," Duncan said.

Abilene quickly clutched onto her bags and a bar as Duncan lurched forward and the two engines tore off down the line and up the mountain to the secret shed.


	5. A Night in the Secret Shed

Sir Handel crept slowly forwards and peered outside the old shed through a blanket of ivy. Outside, the sun was setting on another lonely, workless day. The snow that had fallen in the high mountains had melted and created patches in the grass and along the line. It was cold for spring, and Sir Handel dreaded the even colder night ahead.

"Get him back in here!"

Sir Handel had no time to respond to the aggravated growl until his was buffed into by his closest friend.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" exclaimed Sir Handel.

Peter Sam, the little green engine, pulled his friend back into the shed with the rest of narrow gauge railroad's engines.

"You're going to get us caught," said Peter Sam.

"Am not!" Sir Handel argued.

"Look, Sir Handel. I'm just doing what Grandpuff says," Peter Sam said defensively.

Sir Handel rolled his eyes and put on his brakes, causing his wheels to squeak along the track as Peter Sam pulled him back. He had been obeying "Grandpuff's" orders since 1880, and it was getting old.

"Peter Sam," Sir Handel complained.

Suddenly, an engine burst through the ivy covering.

"Better do what he says, eh?" Duncan said.

"Duncan!" Sir Handel exclaimed in surprise.

Spooked, Sir Handel surged backwards, almost pushing Peter Sam through the rotten buffers at the back of the shed.

"Sir Handel!" shouted Peter Sam.

"What? It was Duncan's fault!" the little blue engine argued.

Rusty rolled in backwards in through the east side doors.

"That was rude, Duncan," the diesel murmured.

"Well, what are ya doin' pokin' yer nose out of the sheds, ya silly engine?" Duncan barked to Sir Handel.

Sir Handel approached Duncan, now very angry.

"I was keeping an eye out for you!" Sir Handel replied.

Duncan immediately engaged in a loud and vicious argument with the railway's number three engine. Rusty rolled his eyes and settled into his favorite corner of the dismal building the engines had been calling home for the passed seven or eight months. Duke, who was parked in the opposite corner of the shed, rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the younger engines.

"This would never suit His Grace," the poor old engine murmured and took to staring at the wall beside him.

Rheneas and his best friend Skarloey were parked on the line beside Duke. Rheneas heard Duke's comment over Duncan, Sir Handel, and now Peter Sam's bickering. He hissed to Skarloey, who approved of Rheneas' hushed suggestion. Rheneas then whistled long and loud over the engines.

"All of you, shut up!" Skarloey snapped.

The younger engines instantly hushed. Rusty was relieved.

"I don't want to hear another word out of any of you! It was risky enough to let Rheneas whistle like that. Your yelling is only making it worse! If we get caught because of this unnecessary griping, I will never forgive any of you. Understood?"

"Of course. Yes, Skarloey," they said.

"Good," said Skarloey, who sighed before continuing, "Look, I know you all are restless and jealous because Duncan and Rusty got to go out today, but we've just got to be patient. One day we will find help and we will work again."

"That's just what I did today!" Duncan spoke up.

The engines were surprised. Rusty rolled up alongside Duncan and peered into his cab. Abilene was still there, but she was shaking and frightened.

"And you have successfully scared her half to death," Rusty said.

"Oh!" exclaimed Duncan.

Abilene had had a long day riding in Duncan, but she had begun to almost trust the little yellow engine. There were no further upsets between meeting with Rusty and arriving at the secret shed, and the ride in the downsized engine was not as bad as Abilene could have imagined. In fact, it reminded her of a ride on the zoo train with her parents. She thought that maybe her fear of engines was in fact a silly, superfluous phobia, but when Duncan charged into the sheds without warning, Abilene was once again fearful. The sight of five new living, breathing, familiar engines all arguing with each other did not help either.

From her spot at the back of the cab, Abilene could see Skarloey, Rheneas, and Rusty on the opposite side. They were a lot wider than Duncan and in much, much more foul moods. When she saw Rusty's kind face come into view, she wanted to jump out of the cab and go to the diesel, but she was too scared to move.

"Abilene!" Duncan exclaimed, "Come here, child."

Abilene turned away from Rusty and made eye contact with Skarloey. He was indeed surprised to see a human. She turned back to Rusty, who encouraged her to come out.

"It's alright," the diesel said, "We won't hurt you."

Abilene gave Rusty a small smile, then slowly stood and peered out of the cab. She could see all the engines, and the familiarity of their faces gave her a sudden rush of childhood nostalgia. Skarloey, Rheneas, and Sir Handel were in a state of shock, but Duke and Peter Sam looked quite happy.

Remembering Duncan's command, Abilene hopped out of the cab and walked around to Duncan's front. He gave her a kind smile and invited her to sit on his front. Abilene did so and held onto Duncan's side bar as she sat and faced Sir Handel. The blue engine gave her a small smile.

"Hello, Sir Handel," she said.

Next to Skarloey and Duncan, Sir Handel had been one of Abilene's favorite little engines in the television series, and though still shaken up, was very excited to see the engine.

"Hello," Sir Handel said.

Duncan began to explain his day and he told the engines all about Abilene.

"She's from Shining Time Station," he began.

"You must have used the Anything Tunnel," said Rheneas.

Abilene nodded.

"I thought you needed Gold Dust for that?" Peter Sam asked.

"Not under these circumstances," Duke said in his gruff voice.

"What circumstances?" Abilene asked.

The engines were quiet. Abilene looked up at Duncan.

"Strange circumstances. But the timing for your coming is right, lass," said Duncan.

"You may be the answer to our prayers," said Skarloey.

"What do you mean?" Abilene asked.

"Sir Topham Hatt retired several months ago," Duncan began to explain, "leaving his railroad in the hands of the English Railway Committee."

"And they're not very nice," murmured Peter Sam.

"Terrible people," Duke chimed in.

"Why? What did the railway do to them but rake in cash?" Abilene asked.

Duncan's laugh was harsh.

"The steam engines were costing more and more to run. Some are still kept useful, but not for long," Duncan explained.

"Diesels are the latest craze," said Sir Handel, "it was decided about two months ago that the engines were going to be sold."

"Sold?" Abilene exclaimed.

"Split up," Duncan said, "sold to mainland railways."

"And those who cannot be sold," murmured Rheneas, "will be scrapped."

"But they're still in working order right?" Abilene asked.

Duke, who was silent as his friends explained the railroad's dilemma to the girl, noticed that she was getting more and more interested. He thought that maybe, just maybe, Duncan had the right idea in picking up Abilene.

"Being 'really useful'," Rheneas said, "doesn't matter anymore."

"Yeah," Skarloey agreed, "Especially to the Board."

"The age of those engines does not help either," Sir Handel said, "Edward has been working on this island since 1915."

"And how old is James? 100? 101 years old now?" asked Peter Sam.

"Steam engine parts have to be made on the spot nowadays," Duke spoke up, "It's just too expensive to keep us running."

"And what's more," said Skarloey, "I'm 148 years old. What is the Board going to do when they find us?"

"We're instant scrap," said Duncan, "We were not a part of Sir Topham Hatt's railway, but that doesn't matter."

Abilene jumped down from Duncan and walked between the aisles.

"That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed, "These engines on this island are a part of history-my childhood! If anything, these engines should be bringing in tourists. I thought the Skarloey Railway was a big tourist attraction?"

"Abilene, how many children are still railroad fans nowadays?" Skarloey asked.

"Especially with all of their mobile phones and portable games and such," added Sir Handel.

Abilene groaned.

"There's got to be something we can do," she said.

"Darling, there's no getting past that Board," said Duke.

"Well, I'll tell you guys something," Abilene said.

She walked back between Rheneas and Skarloey to see Duke for the first time. She patted the old engine on his dusty, rusting buffers. Duke smiled kindly.

"If I had the money, I would buy this railroad and make sure each and every one of you had work," she said as she walked back to greet Peter Sam.

"That's very kind of you," Peter Sam said.

Abilene smiled at him.

"Then, perhaps you can help us," Duncan said.

Abilene walked around Sir Handel to Duncan.

"Ooo yeah!" Sir Handel agreed, excited as a happy puppy.

"Help?" she asked.

"Aye. Ya heard what Arry and Bert said this morning. We little engines are next. The diesels are taking over Sir Topham Hatt's railway, and the new manager and the Board members have sent the diesels 'round to pick up or hunt down any steamie that is escapin' or hidin'," Duncan explained.

Abilene was horrified.

"What about the diesels that worked here that ran here in harmony with the steam engines?" Abilene asked, turning to Rusty.

Rusty looked glum.

"Whether they get hired, sold, or otherwise, nothing will be the same for them," he said solemnly.

"Well, I don't know what I _can _do, but I will definitely try to help in some way," Abilene decided.

The little engines smiled.

"_If I can give these guys anything_," Abilene thought, "_it's hope_."

Later that night, Abilene changed into a spare pair of sweatpants from her duffel and sat out of Duncan's buffers. Most of the engines were asleep, save for Rusty and a sleepy Sir Handel. The diesel and the blue engine spoke of old times while Abilene spoke with Duncan.

"You know, Duncan," she murmured, "I think you saved me from a very awkward conversation with my grandmother."

Duncan chuckled.

"How so?" he asked.

"Well," she began, "I was at college when I decided to drop out and come home."

"What's college?" Duncan asked.

"It's like what university is here," Sir Handel said.

"Ah! Okay, please go on," Duncan said.

Abilene smiled.

"Why did you drop out? Did you not like it?" Sir Handel asked.

"No," Abilene replied, "I went there for art. You know, painting and such, but the students in the city were not like the people in the Indian Valley. But Grandma wanted me to pursue art since I doodled all the time, so I went."

"And your parents?" Duncan asked.

Abilene was silent for a moment.

"I lived with my Grandma," Abilene finally said.

Rusty's face fell. He seemed to understand what Abilene meant. Abilene shifted, turning to face Duncan.

"You know, I used to be terrified of trains. For the longest time, I couldn't even go near a set of tracks," she said.

"How could you be scared of us?" Sir Handel laughed, "I mean, the only scary one here is probably Duncan."

Duncan growled.

"Stop it, you two," scolded Rusty.

"Only joking, dear Duncan," Sir Handel said, still laughing.

Abilene laughed. Sir Handel was right. They were not scary at all. To her, they felt more like a family than anything. Somehow, she felt like she kind of belonged with them.

"Why were you afraid, Abilene?" Rusty asked, "Was it because the engines were big? I heard American engines were fairly large."

"Oh, I don't know about their size. But I was a big fan of you guys as a kid. Then one day, a train coming in from Shining Time to my home, Fort Farley, crashed into a car on the tracks."

"Was it..." Sir Handel trailed off.

"My parents? Yes," Abilene confirmed, "afterwards, all of the Thomas toys and tapes went into closets and boxes and I never looked back until yesterday."

"What made ya change yer mind?" Duncan asked.

Abilene smiled and climbed down. She went to his cab and pulled the Railway Series Collection book out of the duffel bag and returned to show the last three engines awake. However, Sir Handel had fallen asleep and Rusty was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

"This book," Abilene said, holding it up for the two engines to see.

"Wow," Rusty yawned, "I haven't seen any of those stories in years."

"Would you like me to read one?" she asked.

"Oh, no," Duncan said, "The way I was depicted was all wrong."

"No it wasn't, Duncan," Rusty argued.

Abilene set the book aside.

"Maybe another time, then," she said, yawning.

"Yes, it's late," Duncan said, "There's a cabinet full of old quilts on the far side by Duke. Our drivers would stuff them down our funnels in the winter to keep bugs and things out. Maybe there's a clean one."

Abilene shuffled between the sleeping engines and found a musty old quilt where Duncan said they would be. When she returned, Rusty had fallen asleep.

"I'll keep my fire low so you will be warm," Duncan said to Abilene.

"Thank-you," she said.

As the passed by Duncan to his cab, her stomach growled.

"What on Earth was that?" Duncan asked.

"I guess I was so nervous today that I forgot my stomach needed attention," she said jokingly.

Duncan frowned. He had forgotten that humans needed to eat and was sorry he could not provide Abilene any sustenance.

"There's nothing here, unfortunately. How about we stop at Crovan's Gate in the morning and see if any engines stop by? They can take you somewhere for food," Duncan suggested.

"Thank-you, Duncan," Abilene said sleepily as she nestled her head on her bags.

The floor was dusty and uncomfortable, but it was warm and safe, and for now, that's all that mattered to Abilene.

Abilene opened her eyes and looked around. In front of her was an open firebox with softly burning coals. Above the firebox was a series of pipes, gauges, and knobs. The previous day's events came rushing back. Abilene groaned and rolled over onto her back. She had remained warm thanks to the old blankets and Duncan's fire, but her neck was stiff and her back ached.

Abilene sat up and had to quickly steady herself as a wave of dizziness washed over her. A loud growl from her stomach followed.

"_Ah_," she thought, "_That's why I'm so dizzy_."

Duncan had been up all night with nagging thoughts about the day's trip to Crovan's Gate. He had heard Abilene groan and roll over, and he assumed she was awake.

"Abilene? Are ya up?" he asked softly so the sleeping engines would not be awakened.

However, it was no use. Rusty had woken up as soon as the sun's rays filtered through the yellowed, cracked windows and he was starting up his engine, waking the others. Sir Handel groaned and Duke snapped at Rusty.

"Sorry, sorry," Rusty apologized and rolled out the door to warm up without further disturbing his friends.

Abilene slipped out of Duncan's cab and walked around to his front. She felt terrible, and Duncan noticed that she did not look so well.

"Did ya sleep well?" the yellow engine asked.

Abilene pushed her filthy hair out of her eyes and looked up at him.

"Well, I was warm," she began, cheering Duncan up a little, "but nothing beats a bed."

Sir Handel frowned.

"You need to get her to civilization, Duncan. She will be no use in helping us if she keeps on like this," he said.

Abilene knew that Sir Handel was right. The last thing she remembered eating was a packet of crackers on the train to Shining Time.

"Right," said Duncan, "Quickly, Abilene. We need to get down to the station and find someone before the diesels wake up and start their hunting."

Abilene nodded and walked to the back of the shed.

Skarloey moaned in disgust.

"Ugh, Duncan. Why did you have to put it like that?" he asked.

Duncan rolled his eyes and raised his fire. It would take him a little while to get ready to leave, so Abilene decided to use this time to say her goodbyes. She approached Peter Sam. He gave her a cheery smile, making her feel a little better.

"Hello, Peter Sam," she said.

"Hello, Abilene. Do you think you can really help us?" he asked.

Abilene looked up at the little green engine. She had no idea how she was going to help these engines, and yesterday's hope had soured with her mood. How could one person, who is not even from the Island stand up to the English Railway Board-especially when money was involved? She would have to figure out something.

"I don't know, Peter Sam," she said.

The engine looked sad, and Abilene felt horrible.

"I will try everything I can. I won't let you guys be split up or scrapped-not when you guys have treated me so well. You guys were the highlight of my childhood. Even with all that's happened, I can't let you guys go."

Peter Sam smiled again. Abilene patted his buffer and walked over to Sir Handel to say goodbye, then Rheneas and Skarloey.

"Don't think you'll be doing this alone," murmured Skarloey.

Abilene tilted her head to the side. She was curious. Had the old engine been plotting his entire uncalled for vacation?

"We're going to help you," the little red engine said.

Abilene was surprised.

"How? I don't even think I can do this myself," she said.

Skarloey smiled.

"Don't worry," he said.

"Besides," Rheneas piped up, "we have a few tricks."

The engines smiled at that, making Abilene feel a little more confident.

"Yeah," said Duncan, "like the slate mine."

Sir Handel gasped, and Abilene knew why. The slate mine had a steep incline with a wench at the top. Using the weight of empty cars versus full cars, a cable pulled them up and down the hill so the little engines would not have to navigate the climb. However, the wench and the cable that pulled the cars were prone to breaking. She knew that the engines had been in or witnessed many accidents on the slope.

"Duncan, that's too dangerous," Sir Handel said scoldingly.

Duke grunted.

"Indeed," agreed the antique engine, "Someone could be killed."

"Pah!" scoffed Duncan, rolling his eyes and looking away from Sir Handel and Rheneas.

Abilene laughed.

"Go ahead and get ready, Duncan," she said, "I'll be out in a minute."

Duncan clanked out backwards to get turned around so he could safely see any patrolling diesels once they got to the station. Abilene said her goodbyes to Rheneas and then Duke. She stared in horror when she finally got a full view of Duke. His drive wheels were missing, and whoever had left the engine there had propped him up on chocks.

Abilene leaned down to investigate further. The burnt orange engine was now brown from dust and rust. His whistle was missing and his nameplate was covered in oily grime. Abilene tried to brush it away, but the filth came off in rolls. He would need to be sprayed with a high-powered hose to be properly cleaned off.

"Terrifying, isn't it?" Duke asked.

Abilene walked around to the front of the engine.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Duke smiled. His pudgy cheeks puffed up and the corners of his eyes wrinkled.

"Retirement," he said jokingly.

Abilene laughed, but she still felt sorry for him.

"It's going to take a lot of work to get you back on the tracks," she said.

Duke chuckled.

"Work? Young one, I need a complete overhaul!"

Abilene had to smile at that. How Duke was still so lighthearted about his situation amazed her.

"But the Works have been shut down," Skarloey said sadly.

Abilene quickly turned to Skarloey.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"That's the news from the Scottish twins. Duncan told us the morning before they went into hiding," Rheneas said.

"Only the remaining working engines can be fixed, but they have to be shipped to the mainland," Skarloey finished.

This news angered Abilene. There was something sketchy behind the closing of the railroad, and she was now determined to find out what.

"Don't worry, you guys. When I return, I'll return with help," she said.

"Don't forget," Sir Handel said, "you can always come get us for help."

Abilene nodded.

"I will be back for you guys," she said.

Abilene quickly headed outside and climbed into Duncan's cab. The sun was just now fully over the horizon. Abilene knew she had a long day ahead of her.

Duncan followed Rusty down the mountain to a switch where Rusty was to split off and hide.

"You best be careful, Duncan," Rusty warned.

"I know! I know!" Duncan barked.

Rusty just smiled. Often when Rusty would give advice he would be ignored by Duncan, but the little diesel had a feeling the Scottish engine would take heed today.

The ride was quiet and peaceful. The last of the snow had melted and it felt like a normal spring day. Birds were singing and the grass was beginning to green up. Abilene almost forgot that she was not just taking a joy ride on an engine.

At Crovan's Gate, Duncan hid behind the same shed he had hid behind before and watched. Abilene made sure her bags were zipped up and threw the straps over her shoulders. She was prepared to make a run for the next engine if need be. Duncan focused hard to listen for any trains.

"What if no one on our side shows up?" Abilene asked quietly.

"If no one shows up within the hour, I know of a few more places we could try," Duncan said.

Abilene was beginning to dread this wild goose chase. This could take all day if they let it. Abilene was shaken from her worrying when Duncan called out.

"Look! I think I see steam," Duncan exclaimed.

Abilene stood on tip-toe to peer out of Duncan's oval shaped windows. Sure enough, about the station's roof came puffs of steam.

"Should I get out and be ready to make a run for it?" Abilene asked.

"No, no, no. Stay put. They may be bein' escorted by diesels," Duncan explained.

Abilene ducked down again.

"Ah! True," she agreed.

Then, a big green tank engine with a tall black funnel came huffing around the corner. He had large, sad eyes, a wide nose, and an odd wheel configuration.

"It's Oliver!" both Abilene and Duncan exclaimed.

When the tank engine spotted the little engine, he smiled.

"Duncan! Come over here, old man," Oliver called.

The engine had a thick, aristocratic British accent that Abilene thought suited him. Duncan switched tracks and quickly chuffed up alongside the platform.

"What's the latest news?" Duncan asked.

"Things are just getting worse and worse," Oliver said, "The diesels' patrolling schedule is getting tighter and tighter. And to make things worse, yesterday they took my brake van, Toad, and scrapped him."

Duncan was sad for Oliver.

"That's terrible," the little engine said.

"Yes, it is," Oliver agreed.

"Well, I think I might have somethin' that'll cheer ya up," Duncan said.

Oliver perked up.

"What?" he asked.

Abilene took this as her cue to climb out of Duncan's cab.

"I've brought help," Duncan said proudly, "This is Abilene. She's from Shining Time Station."

"Shining Time?" Oliver exclaimed, "My, I haven't heard about that station in years!"

Abilene smiled at Oliver.

"It's still there," she said.

Oliver returned the smile.

"And you came here to help us?" he asked.

Abilene shrugged.

"Well, by accident, I guess you could say," she replied.

No matter how she got to the Island, to Oliver, help was help, and he was pleased.

"You best get her somewhere where she can eat and rest," Duncan advised, "She will be no good to ya without nourishment."

Oliver agreed.

"Of course!" he said, "I don't know how long it will take, but I will get you a meal and a roof. I know how important that is. It's like engines without coal or water."

"Or oil," murmured Duncan, before he barked out, "Or polish!"

Abilene laughed.

"I'll take care of her, Duncan. Don't worry. But we must get going," Oliver said.

Abilene nodded. She ran across the platform and tossed her bags in Oliver's cab, then ran back over to Duncan to say goodbye.

"Thanks for everything," she said and climbed onto Duncan's front to kiss his forehead.

Duncan's nostrils flared and his eyes grew wide as he glared at Abilene.

"Get back to Rusty safely and stay hidden. No more excursions," Abilene said.

"Yes, of course," he said flatly, making like he was agitated, but smiled anyway.

Abilene smiled and said her goodbye to Duncan before rushing across the platform and hauling herself into Oliver's cab.

"All aboard?" Oliver asked.

"Yes," Abilene said.

Oliver hissed and weeshed before he began to move forward. Abilene, shaky and nervous about riding in a bigger engine, turned out the window and waved to Duncan. Duncan looked sadly on and gave her one hoot of his whistle before he trundled back up the mountain. Abilene hoped he would be okay.


End file.
